Blue eyes, golden eyes
by Misura
Summary: [kind of AU] Captured and drugged by Pegasus, Seto gets some interesting dreams about a certain Priest and his puppy. [SetoJoey]
1. First

Blue eyes, golden eyes

Warnings/notes : Seto + Joey, some small hints at twisted Pegasus + Seto, slightly dark, AU, weirdness, Mokuba

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 18th november 2003, by Misura, part 1 of 3[?]

This fic can be read as a prequel to 'Blue eyes, brown eyes'. If you'd like to read the prologue/teaser for this chapter you can go to *that* story and read the twentieth chapter.

Chapter note : flashbacks to an Ancient Egyptian AU

**********

At first, he was sure he was having a somewhat strange dream. Or nightmare, considering a drafty dungeon didn't exactly make for the most comfortable of settings.

But the chains around his wrists *chafed*. While dreams could be very realistic at times, he'd never yet experienced one in which he felt any physical pain or discomfort.

"How good of you to join us again, Kaiba-boy."

He raised his head to see Pegasus staring at him from behind irons bars. If this was all a product of his imagination, he sure had some weird ideas. True, the man in front of him had built some cute faerietale castle but ...

"What's a proper castle without a set of dungeons?" Pegasus crooked his head. "And I can assure you this is real. You overestimate yourself if you think your fantasy could come up with this."

"If I have overestimated anything, it is your good sense." Seto replied icily. "What do you think to accomplish by keeping me here? People will miss me, you know."

"Miss you?" Pegasus chuckled. "Hardly the proper word I'd say. They might notice you're not where they thought you'd be, perhaps, yet they'll simply assume you're somewhere else. Believe me, I've planned all of this quite thoroughly."

"Mokuba - " Seto began, before biting his lip. Mokuba was fully unprotected without Seto around to watch over him. Drawing this lunatic's attention to his little brother was the last thing he wanted.

"Ah yes, poor little Mokuba," Pegasus drawled. "He'll be so disappointed in you, not keeping your promise to go eating ice-cream with him. Such a lousy big brother, putting his business before his own flesh and blood."

"You ... " Seto lurched forwards, only to be held back by his chains. Pegasus watched him with amusement.

"Now, now, let's keep this civilized, shall we?" Pegasus clucked in a disapproval as Seto glared at him. "It's quite simple really. You have something I want. Give it to me, and I will release you."

"Forget it!" Seto shook his head, ignoring the cooler part of his mind that pointed out he might at least *pretend* to consider cooperation, if only to get away from here.

"Don't be so hasty, Kaiba-boy. I haven't even told you what I want yet." Pegasus shook his head in mock-sadness. "You could at least have the courtesy to hear me out."

"Fine then, I'll play this game your way. For now." Seto leaned back to the wall. "What do you want?"

"The Rod." Two golden eyes stared at him expectantly, as if that answer was supposed to mean anything to him. One of them seemed to glow softly, though that was probably nothing but a result of the lightfall in this place.

"What rod? What are you talking about?" Seto was beginning to get annoyed. Which was good, since anger was an emotion he much preferred over the despair that had come at realizing that Pegasus was right in saying he could be held here for quite some time before anyone would even start to think of going to search for him. Except Mokuba, whom he most definitely didn't want to come here.

"Don't be coy, Seto. You know very well. But ... if this is the way you want it, fine. Perhaps a night in this guest-room will refresh your memory." Pegasus shrugged, walking away and taking the only source of light with him. For one moment, Seto had to fight down an urge to call him back.

Then he closed his eyes, trying to think of some way to escape from here. Pegasus had obviously lost his mind, meaning he couldn't hope to appeal to logic or sense. Still, it wouldn't be the first time he'd turn a seemingly hopeless situation to his advantage. All he needed was a good plan.

*****

After an undeterminable period of time, a guard brought him a tray with food. Remembering what had happened the last time he'd drunk something coming from Pegasus, he initially decided not to touch anything of it. Yet he was getting hungry, and he would need his strength if he was to make a run for it. He couldn't escape on an empty stomach. So he ate. And then he dreamt.

_~~~~~~_

_"You know, sometimes you scare me." The light of the moon played over a pale back, keeping the face of the one speaking in the dark, hidden._

_"Hmmm." He replied absently, reaching out to draw patterns on alabaster skin._

_"Seto! I'm serious!" His hand was swatted away in an annoyed gesture. "Stop messing around!"_

_"I don't whine to you about your recklessness, do I?" he inquired._

_"That's not the same thing at all." A shake of the head showed a glimpse of golden locks._

_"Pup ... it's the middle of the night. This is not the time to argue." His tone of voice and the look in his eyes left no doubt as to what he thought what this hour *was* suitable for._

_"Don't touch me!" The other hissed, backing up as he crawled closer. "I want to talk about this."_

_"I don't." His reply was sharp, cutting through the air like a whip. Angry, because in this relationship, *he* was the one making the rules._

_"Yeah, well, that's just too bad. I'm not your property, to do with as you please. You can either agree to what I want or bugger off and find someone else to keep you warm the rest of the night."_

_He snorted, amused in spite of himself. In spite of knowing it would only get his hot-headed lover riled up more by doing so._

_"We're in *my* quarters at the moment, remember?" He felt obliged to explain himself._

_"Fine, then *I*'ll leave. If you only want to mess with me ... "_

_"Don't be like this," he hated using that next word, "please." He knew it would be effective for exactly that reason though, because it showed that this was important to him. Whatever 'this' was._

_"Seeeeto." The name was turned into something half-sigh, half-moan, as he finally managed to get a hold on his reluctant companion. "I hate it when you do that."_

_"Oh really?" He smirked, secure in his control now. "Your body is telling me something quite different."_

_"Can't you ... just ... answer ... one question?" Their positions had changed now, meaning the moon perfectly illuminated his partner's face, showing him pleading puppy-eyes. He sighed, sitting back for a moment to simply admire this person that was his, no matter what he said._

_"One question." He could afford to be generous in his victory. It wasn't the puppy-look that was getting to him, of course._

_"Am I - Am I here because I lo- because I want to, or because you cast a spell on me with your magic?" He managed not to laugh at that stuttered question, even if it was a rather silly one._

_"Neither, naturally." He caught the other's confused gaze begging for an explanation. "You are here because *I* want you."_

_"No Sennen Magic?"_

_"No Sennen Magic." He sighed, slightly angry with the blond for ruining the mood, yet oddly warmed by the sparkle his reply had brought to his lover's eyes. He wondered if he'd ever understand the boy._

~tbc~


	2. Second

Blue eyes, golden eyes

Warnings/notes : Seto + Joey, some small hints at twisted Pegasus + Seto, slightly dark, AU, weirdness, Mokuba

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 22nd november 2003, by Misura, part 2 of 3[?]

Thanks to the people who reviewed the first chapter :

To Jenniyah : Yup, there'll be more Egyptian flashbacks. Glad you liked it! :)

To Kaneda-Shotaro and Yami Tetsuo : You said the magical word so ... :)

To hieiandkuramalover : ^^; Glad it managed to keep your attention.

Pegasus : ;_; *You* should know I'm not a bad guy!

To Lightning Sage : Thank you very much! :)

To Kaira-chan : Hmm, well, there will be more flashes, but not really perfectly in the lower half of the chapter. I mainly use them to jump scenes. ^^; Glad you like the AE-element I added! :)

To Lone Wolf55 : Double thanks in that case. :) 

To heath 999 : Thank you! As to your question ... read and find out! :)

To Mel Gods : Glad to hear you enjoyed the first chapter! ^_^

To HikariChang : Thank you very much. :)

To Suppis Tenshi : Well, the past is pure Seto/Jou, while the present is ah not. After all, this *is* a prequel to 'Blue eyes, brown eyes' so ... Glad you liked this fic thus far! ^_^

To Ru-chan and Rui : ..... *lost in pretty mental pics of Ken and Aya dozing and snuggling* Thank you! ^_^

To Krystal : Hm, well, according to both the anime and the manga, Seto used to have the Millenium Rod as Yami's Priest in Egypt. And somehow, Pegasus seems to think he still has it. Or maybe the Millenium Eye has got something to do with that? :) Glad you enjoyed it anyway. :)

To Temptress Nagisa : ^_^; I will, I will! :)

To Person Personage : Hope you'll like this chapter. ^_^

To RavenStarr : You actually like Marik? Wow. I must admit I find him somewhat … creepy, though psychotic yamis can be a lot of fun *coughBakuracough*. Well, hope you'll enjoy the rest of this fic as well.  

*

Chapter note : flashbacks to an Ancient Egyptian AU (will end tragically, sorry. kind of following the serie in this)

**********

"Master Pegasus? One Mokuba Kaiba for you on the phone."

"Seto's little brother? I wonder why. Let's hope nothing bad has happened to him. Though surely that'd have been on the news, don't you think so, Croquet?"

A polite cough. "Yes, sir."

"Well, then, since Funny Bunny has just ended, I guess I might as well go hear what Mokuba-chan has to tell me. Oh, and could you order me some new linen for painting again?"

"Yes, sir. Is that all?"

"I'll let you know when something else crosses my mind."

_~~~~~~_

_"I wish you wouldn't go." The words surprised him as much as the blond. Of course, he was better in hiding it, so that his slip probably would go unnoticed, but still ..._

_It scared him a little. Because he *meant* that confession ; it was the truth._

_Brown eyes regarded him with a tinge of sadness in them._

_"You already said that, Seto. I gave you my answer back then. This expedition is a great chance for me, an opportunity to gain rank and experience. I'm not going to give all that up simply because you are over-worked and thus over-worried."_

_"Wouldn't you even give it up for *me*? If leaving meant I'd never talk to you again, would your decision still be the same?" he demanded, pride once again overruling sense._

_He knew the blond responded badly to being pressured. _

_"I'm growing rather tired of that same old threat, Seto. We both know you're never going to make good on it, so why don't you think of something more original?" _

_Pride compelled him to answer like he did._

_"It seems you're overestimating your value to me quite a lot, mutt. I suggest you reconsider things very carefully." He strode away, cold and calm on the outside, weeping and crying on the inside._

_~~~~~~_

"- but he was supposed to stay with you for only a few days and he's still not back." Mokuba finished his story. There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.

"Well, I have no idea what happened to him, Mokuba-chan. He left two days ago. That's the last time I saw or heard of him." Pegasus sounded honest, possibly even a little sympathetic.

Somehow, that creeped out Mokuba even worse than his usual superficially cheerful drawl.

"Did he say anything about where he was going to?" Mokuba pressed, more out of desperation than because he believed Seto would give Pegasus any such information.

"Uhm, I can't quite remember ... " Pegasus' voice trailed off, uncertainly. Small alarm-bells started to go off in Mokuba's head.

"What do you mean, 'you can't quite remember'?" he demanded sharply.

Another silence, longer than the first one.

"No, he didn't say anything to me about his future destination, Mokuba-dear. Sorry. I really wish I could've been of more help to you. Be a good boy and do tell me when you've found him back, will you? Goodbye!"

Mokuba stared at the receiver in his hand and wondered what the heck was going on. And what he was going to do about it. "Big brother ... I hope you're all right."

_~~~~~~_

_He said nothing, watching his lover -well, ex-lover by now, probably- pack his belongings, slowly stripping his quarters from all signs of another one's presence._

_When all was stuffed in the two bags, they gazed at each other, until the blond broke the silence. He was glad of that ; he knew he probably wouldn't have been able to say the first word._

_"So ... I guess this is the end then. You've had your fun with me."_

_The accusation stung. "How dare you make me sound like ... like ... "_

_"Like you used me and then threw me away when I refused to let you completely rule my life?" Brown eyes flashed with anger. It reminded him of their first meeting. "Isn't that how it is?"_

_"No!" He wished he had the courage to beg, even if it was probably too late. Perhaps it was better this way ; no one had believed the pair of them could stay a couple for more than a few weeks._

_Maybe it simply wasn't his destiny to find the other half of his soul ... He angrily shook his head at that thought. This mutt ... his life-partner? Ridiculous!_

_"You're too stupid to understand anything." He rose and left, before he could embarrass himself by asking for a last kiss or something equally foolish._

_~~~~~~_

Pegasus sighed as a silver-blue dragon slowly took shape on the canvas. Something about his conversation with Mokuba was bothering him. And why was he painting Seto's favorite Duel Monster all of a sudden, while he had been intending to paint a morning-sky?

The beast seemed to stare at him, scowling. He chuckled, unwillingly reminded of the headstrong CEO he had gifted with its three cardboard-versions. Pegasus liked Seto for his attitude, his daring arrogance and his fierce protectiveness of Mokuba.

"You are much alike, you and him." Signing the painting with a flourish, Pegasus stepped back to admire the result of three hours of hard work. "Hiding your fire under a shell of ice."

Perhaps he ought to send this piece of work to Seto. Considering the boy's fondness of his Blue Eyes, he'd certainly appreciate the gift. And it'd be nice to have someone remember him for something else than his creation of Duel Monsters ...

~tbc~

Note : I think I'm simply going to scrap the 'twisted Peggy-chan + Seto' from the plot. It just doesn't fit in anymore. And come on, was anyone really looking forward to having Pegasus trying to kiss Seto or something? *coughs and looks hopeful* ^^;


	3. Third

Blue eyes, golden eyes

Warnings/notes : Seto + Joey, slightly dark, AU, weirdness, Mokuba

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 24th november 2003, by Misura, part 3 of 4[?]

Thanks to the people who reviewed the second chapter :

To hieiandkuramalover : *blushes* Thank you!

Pegasus : ;_; But … but … I didn't do anything like that at all! I spoke nothing but the truth to Mokuba-chan! … Thanks for the hug though. ^_^

To Kay and fantasychick : Well, I'm just no good at writing really sick minds. And I'm not in a dark mood anymore, in which that particular plot was conceived. Sorry.

To Suppis Tenshi : Thank you very much for the vote of confidence! *blushes and beams* I hope you'll enjoy this next chapter as well.

To Kaira-chan : *coughs* Sorry for being a heartless monster. -_-;;; But thanks for the encouragement!

To Lightning Sage : Thank you for the plot-comments. Originally, this fic had no AE-flashbacks, but after I added them, the whole plot became kind of shifty. Maybe I should try for the Pegasus/Seto-thing in another, new fic. *looks pensive* Thank you! ^_^

To Lone Wolf55 : (Ah yes, the dark apothecary and such, ne? ^^;) Thank you!

To Temptress Nagisa : Ah, but it wouldn't be love. It'd be something dark, twisted and ugly with an unhappy ending. Something I'd write in a really depressed or angsty mood.

Anzu : -_- Unless it's me? What's *that* supposed to mean? It's not my fault some people write me as a horrible friendship-freak, while in fact I'm just a nice girl! ;_;

To Ancient Angel : Yes, a positive Pegasus/Seto can be quite enjoyable at times, I agree. But considering there's Joey, it just didn't seem to fit in here. ^_^;

To Mel Gods : *is momentarily thrown into visions of Mokuba springing to Seto's rescue* Yes, Mokuba's tougher than he looks. Thank you! 

To Kiawna : ^_^; They *are* very cute together ne? Thank you!

To Alithiel and Arlyssa : Hmm, but is it justified to break Pegasus' heart just for a shock-effect? I decided not to, sorry. Thanks for your comments! 

To Ru-chan and Rui : Awww, your review gave me such kawaii mental images. ^_^ Thank you!

To yuki44 : Thank you!

*

Chapter note : flashbacks to an Ancient Egyptian AU

**********

"What do you want with the Rod anyway?" It had been three days since Pegasus had first told him what he wanted from Seto. So far, he hadn't suffered anything worse than his imprisonment, but Seto had little faith in the psychotic personality Pegasus displayed.

Besides, his corporation needed him. And Mokuba ...

"He called here, you know. Such a sweet little kid, all worried about his big brother." Pegasus chuckled at the darkening of Seto's expression. "Oh, come come, Kaiba-boy. Don't make such a face at me. As to why I want the Rod, well, that's quite simple really. You *do* remember its functions, don't you?"

"Mind-control ... " Seto had no idea *how* he knew ; the knowledge simply was there when Pegasus had asked his question.

"That too, yes." Pegasus waved his words away. "But that's nothing but a useful trick. It wouldn't even work on people like you. No, I want it for its capability of controlling people's *souls*."

Seto frowned. His dreams were bothering him more than he cared to admit, mostly because they corresponded perfectly to what Pegasus was saying, about him having once held some sort of magical artifact. Pegasus couldn't possibly know about that, which meant ...

"You really are cynical, aren't you? Still not believing your true past." Pegasus shook his head sadly. "Such a shame that ; you could have amassed quite some power with the Rod to back you up."

"I managed just fine without it." Seto snapped. Something about these conversations was bothering him, but his mind was all fuzzy. He tried to stay away from the food and the water only ...

"Now, where was I? Ah yes, the Sennen Rod and its powers." Pegasus smiled dreamily. "With that Item, I could capture my wife's soul and push it back in her body, where it belongs. She's currently comatose, as you probably know, which simply means the connection between her spiritual and her physical form is damaged. The Rod can fix that."

"You're insane." Seto blurted out, his astonishment temporarily overruling the small voice in the back of his head that remarked it might be more prudent to go along with Pegasus' delusions in the hope of finding a way to escape. "This is all a bunch of nonsense! Your wife needs *medical* help, not some ancient Egyptian artifact that probably doesn't even exist!"

Pegasus made an odd, barking sound. It took Seto a few seconds to realize he was laughing. "Seto, Seto, you truly are one of a kind." His face turned into a cold mask all of a sudden. "I have been using Sennen Magic on you for the past three days, you foolish mortal!"

One of Pegasus' eyes seemed to be glowing again. Seto blinked, trying to find a logical explanation for all of this. Or an illogical one, he wasn't really going to be picky about that. When the light grew brighter, he closed his eyes.

There was a flash, and then he heard the sound of departing footsteps, while a voice muttered curses in a language that was most definitely not any one he was familiar with.

_~~~~~~_

_"Yami! I demand a word with you!" His voice echoed through the hallway, earning him a disapproving look from Suguroku and Malik, his two fellow-Highpriests who had been trying to strike a conversation with Yami for days now, without any success._

_The Pharaoh was a busy man, even for those closest to him. By using the official ways, it would take someone at least a week to get an appointment with him, no matter how urgent the case. And that appointment would probably be at least another couple of weeks in the future._

_For that reason, he had decided not to try to approach Yami in that manner._

_"You *demand*, Seto?" Yami stared at him coldly, yet his usual arrogance was absent and his shoulders were sagged. "What gives you the right to make *demands* from your Pharaoh?"_

_"The fact that your stupidity got someone killed whom I loved." He flung the words at Yami, their taste too bitter to keep them inside. Because they came too late._

_"We have all suffered losses in the war against the Shadows, Seto." Yami sounded almost friendly, but also very, very tired. "I grieve for your friend, yet I refuse to take the blame for his death."_

_"You don't deserve to be Pharaoh! You're not worthy of the Sennen Puzzle or of the power it gives you. I claim the right to challenge you to a Shadow Game." He had known Yami would react like this and had planned accordingly. If he won, he would be Pharaoh, and a better one than Yami. If he lost, he'd be reunited with his lover, or at least be freed from his memory. _

_"You have that right." Yami acknowledged. "So be it then. I will miss your strength at my side in the next battle of the war to protect the people of Egypt. The people who, I might remind you, your friend died for. Do you think for even a moment this is what he'd have wanted you to do?"_

_"Don't you dare talk about him that way, you murderer!" He hissed, turning away before Yami could see the pain his words had caused. "Tomorrow at dawn, we will settle this."_

_"I witness this challenge." Malik murmured softly. "May the gods be merciful on both of you."_

_~~~~~~_

Pegasus watched in silence as the toon commonly known as 'Funny Bunny' had its opponent drop through a hole in the road he himself had created, as a trap. Normally, the scene would have made him laugh. Normally, he would know what had happened to the painting he was sure he had created yesterday, of a Blue Eyes White Dragon.

Something was wrong with him, yet he had no idea what. All paintings in his atelier had depicted his wife, Cecelia, while he *knew* she wasn't the only subject that had inspired him over the years. He had painted landscapes, cityscapes, animals, both real and mythical, and, of course, Duel Monsters.

None of that showed in his collection. Not even a trace. And then there was the key ... Toying with the silver object, he wished he had the courage to use it. To descend into the labyrinth he had created on a whim and see if something -or someone- was in there.

He shivered, his hand involuntarily dropping the key to reach for the place where once his other eye had been. Then he straightened, picking up the key and ringing for Croquet.

*****

Someone was coming. Someone who was not Pegasus, unless the man had changed his footwear for some reason, which was possible, but not very likely.

"Mr Kaiba? Master Pegasus has decided the time has come for you to leave." It was one of Pegasus' servants. They all looked the same to Seto ; with sunglasses and a black suit.

"Oh." He wondered what that meant 'time for him to leave'. It didn't seem very likely Pegasus would simply send him back home and expect him to forget about this whole episode. Though the man hadn't exactly seemed either sane or logical when they'd spoken ...

"There's a helicopter waiting to take you back to the main-land." The man entered his cell, supporting his body after a brief hesitation since the drugs that had been in the water apparently still rendered his muscles unusable.

~to be concluded in the (short) epilogue~


	4. Last

Blue eyes, golden eyes

Warnings/notes : Seto + Joey, slightly dark, canon-inspired AU, weirdness, Mokuba

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. 

written at 28th november 2003, by Misura, part 4 of 4

Thanks to the people who reviewed the third chapter :

To Lightning Sage : Thank you very much! ^_^

To Mel Gods : Well, Pegasus seems to have a split personality. And a Sennen Item. That was supposed to be a clue, but ... sorry for the oddness. ^_^;

To Kiawna : Uhm, sorry, but it *was* Jou. Yami 'killed' him by allowing him to join in the military campaign, in spite of the dangers. So he's not really a murderer, no. ^_^;

To MillenniumDaggerHolder : ^^; Here it is, hope you'll like it!

To hieiandkuramalover : In canon, the Rod just controls people's bodies I think. ^^;

??????? : Funny Bunny is for kids and weakling hikaris!

To RavenStarr : Thank you very much! :)

To Suppis Tenshi : I must admit this AU's definitely canon-inspired. ^^; Pegasus ... has had a very traumatic experience when Cecelia got in her coma. Kind of like Malik ... Thank you very much! ^_^

To Kaira-chan : I only know the manga from hearsay so ... I prefer to write canon-inspired AU-fics for Ancient Egypt. But anyway, I have Seto call [spoiler] Yami, because they're close. (And, hey, it's Seto! I can't picture him adressing *anyone* as a superior.) 'Shimon' makes me think of Digimon, so I prefer to use his other name. Historically, there were several Highpriests, all vying for the Pharaoh's favor, so I feel justified in writing them in this AU. It's ... a conscious choice to err. ^^; Thanks for not yelling at me! ^_^;

To Romennar : Yes, I feel very guilty about that too. ;_; Thank you! :)

To Alithiel and Arlyssa : Thank you very much! *blushes* ^_^

To Ancient Angel : Sorry for confusing you! Glad to hear you still like it. :)

* 

Chapter note : flashbacks to an Ancient Egyptian AU, very slight hints at possible Yami + Seto

Second note : part of this takes place at the end of BEBE, before the epilogues.

**********

"Big brother! You're safe!" Seto had about half a second to brace himself as Mokuba hurled himself at him. He smiled, ruffling Mokuba's hair.

"Of course I'm safe. And you had better had a very good reason for looking so tired." It was true ; Mokuba looked like he hadn't been sleeping for a week.

"I was worried about you. When Croquet told me there was a storm that kept you on the island - " Mokuba shook his head. "I simply *knew* you'd insist on coming back anyway, just to keep that promise you made me." He hugged Seto more closely, until the CEO was sure Mokuba was trying to crush him. "You could have had an accident and it'd have been all my fault!"

"And who is Croquet?" Seto inquired, not recognizing the name.

The man who had accompanied him out of the castle coughed. "I am, sir. If you don't mind, I'll return to the castle now. Master Pegasus will be most pleased to hear of your safe arrival back home."

"Will he really?" Seto asked, his voice cold. Mokuba stared at him questioningly, but the expression on Seto's face told him it wasn't the right time to ask for an explanation.

"I assure you Master Pegasus values his relationship with you most highly." Croquet replied, the expression in his eyes hidden by his sunglasses. "It would greatly grieve him to hear you'd have come to any harm."

Seto snorted, chosing not to respond to that unlikely statement. "Come on, Mokuba. Let's go home. I want you to be awake enough to enjoy your ice-cream tomorrow."

Mokuba whooped and showed he still had enough energy to bounce to the car. Seto followed him more slowly, his thoughts on what he was to do now. He was mostly unharmed, save for a few bruises, but ... With a sigh he decided he'd simply have to stay away from Pegasus. He couldn't prove anything at the moment. Though one day, he'd get to the bottom of this whole affair.

Croquet stared after the two brothers until they had vanished into the limo Mokuba had ordered. He had no idea what Pegasus had been trying to accomplish by his actions or why he had released the headstrong CEO so suddenly. It didn't matter anyway. It wasn't his job to understand his orders. All he had to do was obey them.

_~~~~~~_

_The knock on his door came unexpected. He hadn't counted on receiving any visitors this night which would probably be the last night he spent in these quarters. _

_The face staring at him was an even bigger surprise. "Yami ... "_

_"Seto ... can we talk?" There was a pleading note in the Pharaoh's voice that prevented him from slamming the door shut right away._

_"I'm not going to withdraw the challenge. If you came to try to convince me to do that, you can spare your breath." His own voice was harsh, cold even._

_Yami flinched, then shook his head slowly. "I know that. There's just something I wanted to ask you and since I probably won't get the chance anymore after tomorrow ... "_

_"Come on in then." He reluctantly stepped aside to allow Yami to enter._

_"Thank you." Yami sat down gingerly, seeming ill at ease. "He lived here too, didn't he?"_

_No need to ask which 'he' Yami was referring to. "For a few weeks."_

_Yami nodded. "You didn't want him to leave." He wondered where this conversation was headed, what Yami was trying to accomplish by this._

_"He did so anyway." Yami continued. "Why didn't you stop him? Why didn't you use the magic of the Rod to force him to stay with you? It'd have been so simple, so easy."_

_He was trembling. With anger, he hoped. "Are you telling me it's *my* fault he's dead? Is that what you're trying to do, make me feel too guilty to defeat you?"_

_"NO!" Yami jumped up, looking upset. Vulnerable. "I just want to understand."_

_He forced himself to calm down and consider the question. The answer was not hard at all._

_"Because I loved him. It'd have been wrong to do that to him."_

_Yami smiled sadly, then nodded. "I see. I ... am sure the two of you will meet again."_

_The door softly fell shut behind the Pharaoh as he left, before he could say another word._

_~~~~~~_

[a few months later]

"Seto! Over here!" Joey waved enthusiastically from the other end of the cafetaria. Seated next to him was a brown-haired girl Seto didn't immediately recognize.

"This is Shizuka." Ah. The famous sister Joey had told him about. She didn't look very happy with meeting him, though he guessed it'd have been even worse if she'd been one of those girls who seemed to think he hung the moon.

"Pleased to meet you." He could manage to be polite.

"Joey has told me a lot about you." Her face lit up all of a sudden as she noticed someone else having entered the cafetaria. "Yugi! Over here!"

Seto sighed, none too eager to have yet another person sharing their table. The things he put up with for his puppy's sake! Ah well, he'd survive. And Mokuba would be proud to hear he had managed to meet some new people.

"Hi Joey, hi Shizuka, hi ... uhm, I mean, hi! My name is Yugi Mutou." Seto turned around to come face to face with a small boy with tri-colored hair who was looking at him friendly, holding out his hand. And around his neck, on a chain ...

"Yami." 

The boy blinked. Joey looked confused, while Shizuka seemed angry at his lack of a more polite response.

"His name is Yugi. And he's a whole lot nicer than you'll ever be." Shizuka snapped, picking up her tray to move to another table. "Come on, Yugi, there are still two free seats at Anzu's table."

"But - " Joey began. Seto merely shrugged. It seemed he wasn't going to be able to impress Mokuba after all. Ah well, as long as he had Joey, it wouldn't matter too much to his little brother.

As long as he had Joey ...

Seto shivered, wondering if it was true that history tended to repeat itself.

~OWARI~

Endnote : About the whole Pegasus-thing ... his symptoms (sudden moodswings, memory-gaps and a glowing object) were kind of supposed to signify his having a yami, born from the despair about Cecelia. Sorry for not making that clearer. ^^;


End file.
